Yeah I'd be cautious about that. With some exceptions like tomato, I've had issues with viral load building up in otherwise apparently healthy seeds, specifically soybeans for edamame and other beans. Then of course you've got cross pollination issues with any thing brassica, or cucurbitacea.

Idk. I collect and sew some of my own seed, but I sure af wouldn't be planting any other growers seed unless I'm confident in their pollination skills as well as pest and disease management. I'd rather pay an annual dues to a seed library/ bank where I can draw from, but be guaranteed fresh seed (this is what we do for our friends/ community) from a reliable source.

[–] poVoq@slrpnk.net 19 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Sounds like you are way more advanced than the target group of this. Good for you, but that doesn't invalidate this effort 😊

Although I agree that the library will probably have to restock from professionally managed seed stock in regular intervals, but that doesn't seem to be a real issue if they can get advise from more advanced growers.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 8 points 6 months ago

more advanced growers.

Yeah, I guess my point is that seed saving is something even more advanced growers struggle with, and as more advanced/ semi-professional grower, I understand how difficult it is to do it well and not introduce a situation where someone undergoes a crop failure from bad/ diseased seed. I think there is a strong emphasis on seed saving in social media that generally unwarranted/ a lot of work with very little if any pay off (and sometimes a negative pay off).

If your goal is to expand the sphere of growers, setting up new growers for success is priority one. Nothing stops a novice gardener in their tracks faster than something happening that makes them think "I'm just a bad gardener".

[–] schmorpel@slrpnk.net 3 points 6 months ago

That's a very good point. If the seeds people get from a seed library tend to be unreliable the idea will not thrive in the long term. A regular education offer about seed saving will help people and plants. Or people could note on their contributed seeds if their seed saving efforts are advanced or just 'I collected a seed'.

I could imagine a sort of 'plant patronage' in a seed library where groups of people specialize in and care for certain plants or groups of plants.